Collecta Shuts Down Its Real-Time Search Engine

Collecta, one of several search engines that aimed to make the growing amount of real-time data searchable, appears to have formally shut its doors.

A message on Collecta’s home page tells visitors, “The Collecta story will be updated shortly … you caught us in transition.” ReadWriteWeb reported earlier that Collecta plans to make its software open source and is already working with agencies such as the United Nations that could potentially use the software to help with crisis relief projects.

Collecta launched about two years ago when real-time search was a hot topic. It offered a number of advanced search options and claimed to have information available to users less than a second after it appeared on Twitter, Flickr, blogs and other sources.

In January of this year, Collecta effectively left the real-time search space and said it would take a step back to assess its future. At that time, Collecta CEO Gerry Campbell told us that the real-time search market didn’t develop in the way the company had hoped.

Erstwhile Collecta competitors Crowdeye and OneRiot have also gotten out of the pure real-time search space.

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Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. You can reach Matt via email using our Contact page.

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